Tag Archives: Paul Tipler

First track catches ears and imagination by excited surprise, the second has both locked in a blaze of pungent rock ‘n’ roll, and by its third, Cabin Fever the debut EP from Panic Island has made a clear statement that UK rock has another potential ridden and magnetic proposition emerging from its midst. The three track release is a magnetic roar of alternative and melodic rock, a weave of pungent riffs and sinew swung rhythms entwined with creative and anthemic dexterity. Maybe not yet the release to suggest that Panic Island will be amongst those to the fore driving the ever changing face of British rock ‘n’ roll, the EP is definitely an impressive introduction for the band to spring on from and tempt those kind of heights.

Panic Island is centred round the North London songwriting duo Arron Sans and Vinnie Shimia, two musicians which first met at a gig by The Cult in Spain in 2012. Sans had already “dabbled in acting and film production” before exploring music and songwriting whilst Brazilian born Shimia had developed a romance with the guitar since the age of 13, and moved to the capital from his homeland to pursue his aspirations in music. Their individual abilities and strengths going by Cabin Fever have certainly gelled and openly flourished musically and lyrically since the pair creatively united, openly evidenced by their first release. Produced by Paul Tipler (Idlewild, The Horrors, Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster), the EP is a storming adventure of sound and dark emotional exploration, a release which has you sonically gripped within a few choice moments and persistently thought provoked across each infectious proposal.

The EP starts with the outstanding We Start Fires, a thick lure of bass the first enticing quickly joined by jabbing beats and in another breath, an electronic teasing. Coming cold into the band and letting the music be the first indication of their sound, the latter element immediately sends expectations down the wrong avenue, with punchy beats the almost techno like tempting sparking thoughts of a dance-floor escapade to come. The great vocals of the pair soon begins dispelling that, their attention grabbing presence the trigger to a more volatile lure of rhythms and a stroll of pungent riffs and striking heavy rock hooks. There is a slight punk edge to things too, whilst grooves and vocals increasingly cast a more aggressive and flavoursome web of hard rock and melodic tenacity. The early electro devilment also continues to flirt with the imagination, from time to time coming to the fore but never for long as the unpredictable and thrilling anthemic stomp of a track continues to bound through and ignite ears.

The excellent start is followed by new single Temples, a song providing a more settled landscape of melodic rock but one equally as fiery and alluring from the off. Because of its more uniform canvas of sound, the emotive potency of word and voice has a stronger and clearer sounding board to spring its passion and angst from. This aligns perfectly with the just as magnetically imposing drama of melodies and craft of guitars. It is a combination offering a feel of Bristol band Mind Museum to the provocative nature of the song which excels again within closing song City Screams.

As the previous encounter, it too is a swiftly catchy and enticing proposition with raw feeling in the vocals and raucous enterprise in the heart of the music. It also shows that any of the three songs upon Cabin Fever can be a potent single for the band, each in their individual ways intense and incendiary slices of drama with the emotional climate expected in the consuming premise of the EP title.

Panic Island do everything right with Cabin Fever, and though their sound is not yet holding a truly unique character it is not an issue, just part of the evolution of the band’s creativity to that expected success. Anyway the release is a gripping slice of exciting rock ‘n’ roll and that more than works for us.

Bursting with fiery rock ‘n’ roll to throw your inhibitions out the window to, the eagerly anticipated Rock & Stone EP from UK rockers Broken Chords is finally here to set the rock scene roaring with raucous revelry and insatiable temptation. Bulging with four tracks which have been seeded in the instinctive bed of classic rock, bred with the ferocious devilry found in the likes of Rival Sons and Turbonegro, and honed in the ways of modern rock ‘n’ roll, the releases is a welcomingly familiar and invigoratingly fresh incitement under the banner of real and bawdy rock ‘n’ roll.

Formed in 2013, the Essex/Herts hailing Broken Chords swiftly became an attention grabbing encounter on the local live scene, soon spreading their lure nationally. Their hunger to play live and share their sounds saw them play over sixty shows a year initially expanding to a full UK tour whilst 2014 found the band sharing stages at major venues with artists such as Bernie Torme and Australian rockers Electric Mary, as well as sealing a headline slot on the second stage at Hard Rock Hell Helloween. Last year also saw debut single Get Some embraced by radio, media, and new fans alike. It has all led to the licking of lips of a great many for the release of the Rock & Stone EP. Recorded with producer Paul Tipler (Idlewild, The Horrors, Placebo) and coming after a successful tour of Poland and Ukraine by the band, the release provides one of those rock riots which lights up ears and days.

The title track opens things up and instantly has the senses bound in a spicy groove to devour greedily and a vocal persuasion from guitarist Joe Finnigan and bassist Aiden Eggenton impossible to escape joining in on. Riffs and rhythms only add to the immediate infectious and rowdy proposal offered, a blaze unafraid to twist itself into alternating slimmer and broader strains of ferocious temptation. Its title sums up the song perfectly, its body a swinging explosion of rock ‘n’ roll built on an immoveable rhythmic imposing and intensive energy.

The following Your Moves springs next with a great blues rock flavouring from its first breath, one thickening in spice and enterprise as the track develops its magnetic character and adventure. The jabbing rhythms of drummer Jamie Wilsdon provide potent bait whilst vocals and basslines bring their own expressive lures to play with the imagination, but it is the spicy hooks and fiery grooves which seal the colourful deal and inflame further the impressive start to the release.

Tell Them Of Us, described as the band’s “tribute to the fallen of 1914-18”, entangles ears with a resourceful web of invention vocally and musically, one embraced by melodic flames soaked in creative drama. It is a skilfully controlled and restrained encounter compared to the more volatile air of its predecessors but equally has that element of incendiary energy and imagination which erupts at certain times and in expressive ideation.

The EP is closed by the outstanding Wild Child, a song you can easily see being a fan favourite, and swiftly one of ours truth be told. Once again ears and attention are gripped by an irresistible opening groove, its irrepressible temptation swiftly backed by thumping beats and voracious riffs bound in glam/classic rock devilry addictiveness. Teasing with moments of discord, throaty basslines, and anthemic instinct, the track is a thrilling stomp, taking best song honours along the way.

Everything about the Rock & Stone EP has familiarity and originality ingrained, a fine line skilfully walked with invention whilst casting rock ‘n’ roll so easy to create a real kinship with

UK psyche rockers The Dropper’s Neck has been lurking in our passions ever since their richly promising attention grabbing debut EP early last year. It was a release which suggested this was a band with a dramatic presence pending in the future. Their first album Second Coming now not only confirms this but takes that assumed potent emerging stance into areas maybe not anticipated but greedily welcomed. There have been numerous comparisons placed on the band and their sound too, but though agreeing with most whilst listening to the new release the only description applicable is that The Dropper’s Neck is the mutant hybrid of Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster and Engerica. There are numerous other spices rife within the concoction brewed for sure but there is no escaping this pair at any point on the release. It is the only thing stopping the release sealing full marks for itself, the possibly too close for comfort likeness to that pair of references but such an exciting and innovatively brought familiarity it is, quite simply Second Coming is one of the real triumphs of the year.

Hailing from Essex and formed in 2011, the quintet of vocalist Lloyd Mathews, guitarists Chris Blake and George Barrows, bassist Jack Turner, and drummer Danny Keene, soon snarled at and ignited the local scene and began building a vigorously loyal fanbase through their unforgettable and predatory live performances. The previously mentioned EP announced them as an emerging danger and temptation to the wider country but Second Coming is the consumption which will devour all hearts and devotion given the opportunity. A stirring mix of garage punk, alternative rock, and dark carnal sounds, their sound crawls over and infests the senses like a virulent scourge but one which awakens all the forgotten wantonness and hunger of rock ‘n’ roll.

Recorded with esteemed producer Paul Tipler (Placebo, Idlewild & Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster), Second Coming begins its rapacious touch within the opening seconds of the title track, the first song on the album taunting with raw scuzz lined riffs before equally teasing rhythms add their touch. Into its stride the track is a scorching rampage through the ear, one which scrubs and boils every inch of internal flesh with its sonic fire and temptress groove. The vocals of Mathews bring a great mix of delivery, all drenched in an expression and passion which comes over like the call of a part desperate and part belligerent provocateur. It is a very Guy McKnight like sound he has with more than a nod to David Gardner of Engerica it has to be said, though pure coincidence you would guess, but one which only leads the songs into further delicious misdemeanours.

From the strong start things just accelerate into rapture with the first single from the album, Darker Waters. The guitars exchange their distinct swiping tones at first before the cantankerous bass of Turner joins in with a dark hearted prowl and the beats of Keene snap and barge the ear with contempt. With all uniting their league of menace together, the song adds insatiable grooves and barbed hooks to corrupt and capture the imagination whilst Mathews again is the ringleader with his almost carnival barker like lure. It is a brilliant song which pokes and incites limbs, thoughts, and passions to climb on board the shadow crafted ride, to immerse in its sinister and delicious pervading toxicity.

The follow pair of Abrasive and Three Little Pigs refuses to let the rich temptation waiver either, the first track a brawling punk tempest of squalling sounds and guitar bred melodic heat caged in another mesmeric rhythmic web. As dark and foreboding as it is ungraciously addictive, the track sears the senses into eager capitulation ready for its successor and another major pinnacle on the album. With a spine tingling groove made of pure magnetism and a psychobilly tone across the niggling gait, the song is a lethal enticement which secures eternal submission to its glory.

The following I Am The Law, is like a homage to Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, the band getting as close as they dare to one of UK’s debatably underpraised former giants, the vocal groupings and dark crooning as well as the repetitiously tempting groove and torrential rhythmic demanding aural handcuffs for the heart. Its majesty is replicated by the psychotic Sir Sibilance in another chaotic blaze of invention and psych engineered imagination. With more twists and deceit than a geriatric pole dancer, the devilish maelstrom is an exhausting and scintillating masterpiece.

When the two weakest tracks on the album which turn up next, Second Coming Pt. 2 and My Lime Tree are best described as riveting incitements of tyrannical and hypnotic rhythms amongst washes of caustic noise and heavy shadows of lyrical and musical irreverence honed into bruising bone shaking mentally charring slices of creative ferocity, you understand how impressive and unmissable this album is. As the closing intensive darkly sculpted passionate furnace SaveMe From Myself with its ominous breath and scarring touch providing a final doomy wrap of powerful drama, escape from the clawed clutch of band, album, and lingering sounds is impossible and primal hunger for more incorruptible.

Second Coming is magnificent and The Dropper’s Neck carrying on the charnel seeded legacy of The Cramps in their own almost wholly unique way. Brilliant stuff!

THE DROPPER’S NECKUNLEASH ROUSING DEBUT ALBUM THIS JULY!

Rampant UK quintet drop their tantalising debut album ‘Second Coming’ to the nation on Monday 29th July 2013, available through all digital stores.

With glowing comparisons to the likes of Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, Pulled Apart By Horses and QOTSA, The Dropper’s Neck spring from the traps with enticing hooks and riffs, darkly chaotic energy and raw intensity. The rising Southern noiseniks are quickly moving through the ranks, as they launch out of the underground and aim right for the jugular of the UK scene, loaded with their stunning new album ‘Second Coming’.

Born in and around Essex, The Dropper’s Neck were formed in the summer of 2011 and feature Lloyd Mathews on Lead Vocals, Chris Blake handling Lead Guitar, George Barrows serving up Rhythm Guitar, Danny Keene on Drums and Jack Turner steadying the ship on Bass Guitar. All five members have the same ambition and drive: to make loud, raw and noisy rock music that stands apart from that of other bands on the scene; they have certainly accomplished their goal.

The fast moving five-some soon began to attack their local scene by playing a cluster of successful support slots throughout the area, building a name for themselves by delivering a flurry of high energy live shows throughout London and the South. The gory rocksters continued to raise their stock with the national release of their debut EP during the early part of 2012, which garnered extensive praise and widespread underground recognition.

The band soon amassed enough solid material for a debut album and headed to the studio with esteemed producer Paul Tipler (Placebo, Idlewild & Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster) at the helm. The end result is the band’s debut album ‘Second Coming’ and it’s a real scorcher. From the unbridled garage punk texturing of the opening and album title track ‘Second Coming’, to the energetic groove of their forthcoming single ‘Darker Waters’, to the fantastically chaotic and aptly named ‘Abrasive’, right through to the climax closer ‘Save Me From Myself’, The Dropper’s Neck have sculptured an extremely striking debut album that boasts nine killer cuts of High Octane raucous rock merged with tinges of physcobilly punk; in doing so, they have fashioned a record brimming with raw power, force, and true potential.

The RingMaster Review

The RingMaster

Music writer/reviewer and band/release promo/bio writer.
Artists previously worked with include: In Vain, The Capsules, Solar Halos, Seneron, Crashgate, Able Archer, Machine Rox, Fahran, Centre Excuse, Evanstar, and many more as well as FRUK and Pluggin' Baby.

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Presenter of The Bone Orchard and RingMaster Review podcasts promoting the best underground bands and sounds from metal to rock, punk to noise and more; continually presenting the cream of new independent releases across all genres.

Dark poet at The Carnivale of Dark Words and Shadows http://carnivaleofdarkwordsandshadows.webs.com

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